Social Structure and Society Chapter 5 Social Structure and Society

Social Structure and Status Social Structure: the underlying patters of relationships in a group Status: A position a person occupies within a social structure Helps define you Ascribed: a position that is neither earned nor chosen but assigned Achieved: a position that is earned or chosen Status Set: is all of the statuses that a person occupies at any particular time Master: a position that strongly affects most other aspects of a person’s life

DIAGRAM YOUR LIFE Diagram all of the statuses you possess and the responsibilities or role expectations for each. Which do you feel is a master status? Which are achieved or ascribed?

Roles Role: behavior associated with a status Role performance: actual behavior of an individual in a role Role conflict: performance in one status clashes with performance in another Role Strain: person has trouble meeting many roles in one status How do you prioritize? Which role is most important?

Rights: behavior that individuals can expect from others Obligation: behavior that individuals are expected to perform toward other Ex. Rights Obligations Students have the right to have a prepared teacher Teachers obligated to be prepared with a daily lesson Teachers have the right to expect students to participate and learn Students are obligated to put forth effort Patients have the right to an accurate diagnosis from their doctor Doctors are obligated to diagnose illnesses correctly.